A realistically flawed character worth rooting for in a story worth reading.
Influencer Ellie searches for her real self amid a livestreamed proposal, her father’s declining health, and her disordered eating habits.
In this sequel to Suck It in and Smile (2022) translated from French and set in Quebec, 25-year-old Ellie seems headed for peak influencer success with her account, Quinoa Forever. She’s about to release a book, is engaged to her musician boyfriend, and her collaboration with fellow influencer Mila is getting them both thousands of views. Just like that, when she’s at the top of the world, Ellie begins to unravel. Her father’s cancer forces her to face her childhood and how it affected her relationship with food and her body. Her desperation for perfection pushes her toward inauthenticity online. Her relationship with her fiance suffers a blow. Beaudoin-Masse skillfully makes readers a part of Ellie’s inner world and online life. Some chapters include tidbits about influencers and celebrities interspersed with YouTube rankings, text messages, Instagram comments, and snippets of Ellie’s social media feed. Other chapters read like small essays, powerful as almost stand-alone pieces that are insightful and effective glimpses into Ellie’s life. Ellie’s friendship with Opale, her sister’s girlfriend, builds slowly, believably, and beautifully. Though Ellie’s life is aspirational in many respects, her struggles, fears, trauma, and resilience are familiar. The cast reads white.
A realistically flawed character worth rooting for in a story worth reading. (Fiction. 16-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781773069685
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK TO SCREEN
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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